Shows / The Next Big Idea
The Next Big Idea
The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join hosts Rufus Griscom and Caleb Bissinger — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Monday and Thursday. For ad inquiries, please reach out to: Network+NBI@yapmedia.com
Episodes
- The Next Big Idea
Everything Paul Bloom Knows About Psychology
In “Psych: The Story of the Human Mind,” Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, lays out, in his words, “basically everything I…
- The Next Big Idea
GET THE PICTURE: Why Bother With Art?
For a long time, Bianca Bosker was not on speaking terms with art. “Going to galleries and museums,” she says on today’s show, “reliably made me feel like I…
- The Next Big Idea
LOOK AGAIN: How to See Your Life With Fresh Eyes
Do you ever feel like your life has become a film loop of the familiar? Maybe you sympathize with the elegiac poet Logan Roy, who said, "Nothing tastes like it…
- The Next Big Idea
GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World
Lots of things go viral on the internet: dumb memes, cat videos, one-pan meals, and celebrity gossip. Why not kindness? That’s the delightful question Chris…
- The Next Big Idea
BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech
Kara Swisher has been called “pioneering” (the New York Times), “Silicon Valley’s top pundit” (Wired), and “so shrill at this point that only dogs can hear…
- The Next Big Idea
SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone
According to Merriam-Webster, the word “conversation” has 36 synonyms, ranging from the alliterative (”confabulation”) to the arcane (”persiflage”). Why the…
- The Next Big Idea
MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity
Growing old gets a bad rap, and it's not hard to see why. Your hair thins and your waist thickens. The shot clock ticks down on your career, and you realize…
- The Next Big Idea
RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift
Honesty may be the best policy, but that doesn’t make giving honest feedback any easier. That’s why Kim Scott, a veteran of Google and Apple, wrote “Radical…
- The Next Big Idea
BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters
Seventy-two billion dollars. That, according to the Grifter Counter™, is the amount of money that's been swallowed up by crypto and blockchain scams and…
- The Next Big Idea
BIG BETS: A Practical Guide to Changing the World
When Rajiv Shah was in his late 20s and didn’t know what to do with his life, he got a job at a fledgling nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…
- The Next Big Idea
CLIMATE OPTIMISM: Can We Still Build a Sustainable World?
A few weeks ago, USA Today ran a story with the headline "It's over: 2023 was Earth's hottest year, experts say." But is it really over? Hannah Ritchie, a data…
- The Next Big Idea
FREE WILL: Are We Better Off Without It?
Do we have free will? Do we have a choice in what we do? Philosophers and theologians have debated these questions for centuries; Robert Sapolsky answered them…
- The Next Big Idea
ATOMIC HABITS: James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (and Breaking Bad Ones)
Forming a new habit is tough. Sticking with it is even tougher. That’s probably why someone buys a copy of James Clear’s 2018 book “Atomic Habits” every 11…
- The Next Big Idea
THE GOOD LIFE: Lessons From the World's Longest Study of Happiness
What makes us happy? Researchers at Harvard have been trying to solve that riddle for 85 years. Now, they think they’ve found the answer. Marc Schulz…
- The Next Big Idea
How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization (2021)
Do we have alcohol to thank for civilization? The answer, according to Edward Slingerland’s new book, “Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to…
- The Next Big Idea
Rory Stewart on Politics, Ambition, and Making a Difference
Rory Stewart may be the most interesting person you’ve never heard of. He’s an adventurer, writer, politician, and nonprofit leader. He walked across…
- The Next Big Idea
PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY: Timeless Lessons from Morgan Housel
We may live in an ever-evolving world, but some things never change. The power of a good story. The miracle of compound interest. The cold, hard fact that…
- The Next Big Idea
EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution
The female body has been neglected in anthropological narratives, minimized in the archeological record, and excluded from modern-day clinical trials. But what…
- The Next Big Idea
THE FAMILY OUTING: Secrets, Memory, and Living Authentically
This week, journalist and podcaster Jessi Hempel joins us to discuss her recent memoir, “The Family Outing,” which tells the remarkable story of how every…
- The Next Big Idea
Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations (with Anna Sale)
A lot of us run away from tough conversations. Anna Sale runs toward them. For nearly a decade, as the host of the podcast “Death, Sex & Money,” she has been…
- The Next Big Idea
ACHIEVEMENT CULTURE: What It’s Doing to Our Kids—and to Us
It's no secret that we live in a ferociously competitive world. But what is the drive to always be the best doing to our kids? That's what journalist Jennifer…
- The Next Big Idea
FAILURE: The Science of Learning From Your Mistakes
Failure is inevitable. How we respond to it makes all the difference. Today, Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson joins us to discuss the critical…
- The Next Big Idea
HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply (with David Brooks)
For the past four years, New York Times columnist and acclaimed author David Brooks has been trying to learn the skills that go into seeing others…
- The Next Big Idea
HIDDEN POTENTIAL: Adam Grant on the Science of Achieving Greater Things
We live in a world that worships talent, a world that cheers natural athletes, exalts child prodigies, and venerates virtuosos. But admiring people who are…
- The Next Big Idea
FACIAL RECOGNITION: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It
When tech journalist Kashmir Hill got a tip about a mysterious app, Clearview AI, that claimed it could identify anyone based on just one photo, she was…
- The Next Big Idea
Daniel Pink and Brian Lowery Aren’t Sure That You Exist
Daniel Pink is going through an existential crisis. The culprit? A new book by Stanford professor Brian Lowery. --- If you want to attend our November 1st…
- The Next Big Idea
Susan Cain on the Power of the Bittersweet (2022)
Have you ever been brought to tears by a TV commercial? Do you relish rainy days? Are your favorite songs sad ones? If you answered yes to any of these…
- The Next Big Idea
HUMAN COMPATIBLE: Can We Control Artificial Intelligence?
Stuart Russell wrote the book on artificial intelligence. Literally. Today, he sits down with Rufus to discuss the promise — and potential peril — of the…
- The Next Big Idea
UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY: The Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
When he was 26, Will Guidara took the helm of a middling brasserie in New York City called Eleven Madison Park. A decade later, it was named the best…
- The Next Big Idea
ELON MUSK: Walter Isaacson on the World’s Most Polarizing Person
Two years ago, Walter Isaacson, the legendary biographer who has written books about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci…
- The Next Big Idea
CHANGE: How to Excel When Everything Is in Flux
We go through at least thirty-six major changes in the course of our adulthoods. And yet adapting to those changes is really, really hard. Why is that? Health…
- The Next Big Idea
DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity
In the 1950s, Shaker Heights, Ohio, became a national model for housing integration. In the 1970s, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to…
- The Next Big Idea
PERENNIALS: How to Thrive in a Post-Generational Society
Increasing longevity and the explosion of technology are reshaping the world. What will it mean for your education, your career, and your life? • Mauro…
- The Next Big Idea
ULTRA-PROCESSED: What Fake Food Is Doing to Our Health
Ultra-processed food makes up 60 percent of the American diet. Though to call it food is a stretch. Because it is not, strictly speaking, food at all. It is an…
- The Next Big Idea
How to Succeed by Quitting (2022)
In “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” cognitive scientist turned professional poker player turned bestselling author Annie Duke says mastering the…
- The Next Big Idea
Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction (2021)
In “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke says today’s superabundance of pleasurable stimuli makes us all vulnerable to…
- The Next Big Idea
WORK: Henry David Thoreau on Making a Meaningful Living
Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and pencil-maker. He was a great resigner and, above all, a superb writer whose masterpiece, "Walden," is…
- The Next Big Idea
RISE AND SHINE: How to Have the Perfect Morning
Research has shown that how you spend your morning can have a significant impact on the rest of your day. If you start off feeling anxious and frazzled…
- The Next Big Idea
Artificial Intelligence Meets Virtual Worlds: The Future of Sentience
The two hottest topics in tech right now are the rise of generative AI and, with Apple’s recent push into spatial computing, the mainstreaming of augmented…
- The Next Big Idea
You Should Have More Fun This Summer. Here’s Why.
Are we all so busy doom-scrolling and binge-watching that we’ve forgotten how to have fun? Real fun. Tingly-all-over, natural-high, I-hope-this-never-ends fun…
- The Next Big Idea
PARKING: How It Explains the World
For decades, urban planners have blanketed our cities with the cheap and convenient car storage known as parking. They've swapped sidewalks for strip malls and…
- The Next Big Idea
OUTLIVE (Part 2): How to Optimize Your Diet, Sleep, and Emotional Health
Dr. Peter Attia, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Outlive," is back to share cutting-edge tips for improving your sleep, nutrition, and emotional…
- The Next Big Idea
OUTLIVE (Part 1): Peter Attia’s Guide to the Science of Longevity
Peter Attia had a problem. It was 2006. He'd recently graduated from Stanford's medical school and was completing a prestigious surgical residency at Johns…
- The Next Big Idea
THE WAGER: David Grann Tells a Tale of Shipwreck and Mutiny
David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the acclaimed author of "The Lost City of Z" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." In his new book, the #1 New…
- The Next Big Idea
THE REAL WORK: Adam Gopnik on the Mystery of Mastery
A few years ago, Adam Gopnik, a longtime writer for The New Yorker and three-time winner of the National Magazine Award, started thinking about all the things…
- The Next Big Idea
JOY OF MOVEMENT: How Exercise Can Help You Find Happiness and Connection
Pay a visit to your local gym, observe the grimacing patrons as they pound the treadmill or march in place on the StairMaster, and you might conclude that…
- The Next Big Idea
BREAKTHROUGH: How to Get Unstuck and Achieve Anything
"To be alive is to battle stuckness." So declares NYU professor Adam Alter in his new book, "Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters…
- The Next Big Idea
EXCELLENT ADVICE: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly has made a career out of looking to the future. He helped pioneer online social networking all the way back in the 1980s, and he co-founded Wired…
- The Next Big Idea
SELFLESS: Why “You” Are a Social Creation
You are not autonomous. You are not an island unto yourself. You, my friend, are a social construct. The “self” you haul around — that yammering voice in your…
- The Next Big Idea
The Next Big Idea Club Presents — "Immortality: A User's Guide"
What if you could live forever? Okay, maybe not forever, but for a long, long time — like to 150. First of all, is that even possible? And second, what would…
- The Next Big Idea
Steven Johnson & Michael Specter on the Future of Life
Last month, longtime New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter released a brand new audiobook with our friends at Pushkin. It’s called “Higher Animals: Vaccines…
- The Next Big Idea
You Need a Bedtime (from The Next Big Idea Daily)
What if we told you that every day, in just a few minutes, you could get a master class in better, smarter living from the world's best writers? Sounds too…
- The Next Big Idea
SENSES: Gretchen Rubin’s Guide to Getting Out of Your Head and Into the World
What do your five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — have to do with happiness? According to Gretchen Rubin, a great deal. The world around us…
- The Next Big Idea
PSYCH: The Story of the Human Mind
In his expansive new book, "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind," Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, lays out, in his words…
- The Next Big Idea
PREPPY: The Surprising Origins of American Style
How did Oxford shirts, cashmere sweaters, and chinos become staples of American fashion? How did a style born on Ivy League campuses make its way into the…
- The Next Big Idea
SUCCESSION: The True Story Behind the Hit Show
So "Succession" is back. The Emmy Award-winning series returned to HBO for its fourth and final season last Sunday. The show, if you haven't seen it, centers…
- The Next Big Idea
ABOLISH POVERTY: Matthew Desmond on How We Can Do It
RUFUS GRISCOM: Could you share with us your broader mission and how your new book, “Poverty, by America,” supports that mission? MATTHEW DESMOND: I want to end…
- The Next Big Idea
READING: Are We Forgetting How To Do It?
Maryanne Wolf is a professor at UCLA and the renowned author of "Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain" and "Reader, Come Home: The…
- The Next Big Idea
David Chalmers Thinks We May Be Living in a Simulation (and He’s OK With It)
Last year, Rufus sat down with philosopher David Chalmers to talk about the allure of virtual reality, whether robots will ever achieve consciousness, and the…
- The Next Big Idea
Is AI Moving Too Fast? A Conversation With Kevin Roose
When Kevin Roose, a tech columnist at the New York Times, demoed an AI-powered version of Microsoft's search engine last month, he was blown away. "I'm…